Pokémon HGSS: Lina's Adventure
by paopufruit1023
Summary: Meet Lina, a young girl who is inspired to begin her Pokémon journey after a fateful encounter with Blue Oak during their summer vacation.
1. CH 1 Summer Vacation

**Olivine City**

_The ocean is so beautiful,_ I thought as I looked out at the sea and breathed in the salty air. I let out a little cough. Since I was from Blackthorn City I had never been exposed to anything but the rugged mountains. I loved my hometown, but now I understood the lure of the sea.

I turned from the window and ran to change into my swimsuit. The sandy beach was waiting for me!

"Mom I'm going out!" I called out.

"Take care Lina! Don't swim out so far! Stay close to the coast," she called back.

I ran out of my relatives' house by the beach where my family was staying for the summer. Two months of sand, salt and water before we went back home to the sheltered mountains. I was determined to have lots of fun!

I ran out into the sea and immersed myself in the water. I jumped out gasping and laughing. I went out a little farther and started to swim towards the current. Unfortunately I underestimated my swimming abilities and felt panic as the waves started crashing over my head and I couldn't keep my head above the water.

"Help!" I gasped. "Somebody…!" I started to feel lightheaded and faint.

Suddenly a hand grabbed my arm and pulled me out towards safer, calmer waters.

"I've got you!" I heard a boy's voice say.

The stranger swam with all of his might and pushed against the current When I felt I could swim again I started to wade out to shore. When I reached the coast I coughed out a thank you. I turned to examine my savior. He was a young boy of my age with brown lively eyes and spiky, sandy brown hair.

He grinned. "Lucky I was here or you would have drowned. Don't you know better than to swim out towards the current?"

"Er, yeah… I'll remember that next time," I muttered, feeling embarrassed and looking down at the golden sand.

"Don't feel bad," he said laughing. "Now you owe me a favor."

"What do you want?" I asked, feeling amused. I looked up into his grinning face.

"Let's hang out for a day! Show me around."

"Alright," I agreed. "But let me warn you, I arrived yesterday so I'm kind of new too."

He kept on grinning. "What's your name?"

"Lina," I answered. "Yours?"

"I'm Blue."

We hung around the beach and later went into the city. Blue told me he was from Pallet Town, in the Kanto region. He was staying in Olivine City because he was accompanying his grandfather, who was visiting Johto to study some rare Pokemon species. I really liked Blue; he was polite and playful. He loved to talk about Pokemon more than anything, though. It was hard for me to keep up. He found it odd that I didn't really know much.

"Aren't you going to trainer school?"

"No, but I might go to Clair, the Blackthorn City gym leader. She'll teach me then. Right now I want to go to regular school and decide whether I want to train Pokemon or just keep them as pets."

"Do you have any Pokemon pets as of now?"

"I don't have any time to take care of them."

"Oh." He looked disappointed that I didn't really share his obsession with Pokemon.

"Are you going to trainer school?"

"Nope," he answered proudly. "My grandpa's teaching me everything. He's a great Pokemon researcher. I'm gonna make him proud and become the Pokemon League Champion someday."

"I hope you make it," I smiled.

He grinned. "I know. I'll be the greatest Pokemon master that there ever was and make the name of Pallet Town known throughout the world!" He struck a dramatic pose with his fist raised in the air. I laughed. "I'll be cheering for you all the way!"

I enjoyed his company very much and I could tell he did too. He came to see me everyday and we hung out everywhere- the beach, the lighthouse, the docks and the Pokemon Gym, his favorite place. I learned so many things from him. He always complimented me on how fast I picked up the information he usually mentioned offhandedly.

"You'd make a great trainer! I'd like to battle you someday," he said.

I blushed and thanked him. I learned quickly that he was always honest when he complimented anybody because it was the one thing he hardly did.

We became very close and told each other everything about ourselves. We always poked fun at each other too. I told him he had to be a little more humble whenever he bragged about his knowledge to every trainer he met. He told me I had to loosen up and have fun even when it meant breaking the rules- such as running around in the slippery docks.

"Live a little!"

"I'll fall off and drown!"

"I'll save you again."

"So I can owe you another favor? No thanks." We both laughed.

"Don't you like hanging out with me?" he said, pretending to be hurt.

"Only sometimes," I chuckled.

We were playing on the beach building sandcastles one day when he told me he was leaving home that night.

"I'm happy to be leaving," Blue said as he filled his bucket with sand. "Once I get home I can start training my first Pokemon. My grandpa told me so last night!"

"That sounds great! What Pokemon do you want to start with?"

"I don't know," he mused, "but I think I'll choose Squirtle, a Water type." He chuckled. After being near the water for two weeks I bet it'll be a great match for me! Then again, I'm certain I could raise any Pokemon to be the best!"

"Well I hope your Pokemon is happy being a part of your team," I said. "Cause it's going to have to put up with all of your bragging!"

"Whatever!" Blue threw some sand into my lap. "Sand attack!"

"Splash attack!" I splashed some of the water I had in my bucket towards him.

"Weakling!" he sneered.

"So, are you going to make your next move or are you going to keep talking to yourself?"

"Let's call it a draw."

"Afraid I'm going to win?"

"No, I just don't want to hurt you. I was about to use my Hydro Pump!" He laughed and picked up my bucket and dumped all of the water over my head!

"No fair! Now you're just being mean!" I sputtered angrily.

Blue stopped laughing. "Aww Lina I was only playing around! I'm sorry!"

"Hmph!" I turned around and crossed my arms.

"No, please don't be mad! Here I... I got you this!" He tapped my right shoulder.

"Sorry, I won't be bought."

"It doesn't matter if you don't forgive me! Just take it!" I saw his hands appear in front of me holding a thin silver chain with a small Pokeball as a pendant on it. I felt him place it around my neck.

"There you go! I bet it looks great on you! Turn around, let me see it!"

I was wrapped up in the excitement of the gift and forgot my anger. I turned to face him again.

"It's neat! Thank you!" I gushed.

"I'm glad you like it! It's to remind you that we're friends. Best friends!"

I couldn't sleep that night. I tossed and turned in my bed as the night stretched out. I turned to look at the glowing face of the digital clock on the wall. 11:00 pm…

I got out of bed and sat by the window of my room and sighed. I felt a little twinge in my heart. I was really going to miss him. Who knew if I was ever going to see him again?

I heard a little knock at my window. I turned and saw Blue!

"Outside!" he mouthed.

I snuck out, knowing my parents would be mad if they saw I wanted to go out this late.

"What-?"

"Shhh! Come with me!" Blue grabbed my hand and turned around. I felt myself blush and my heart beat faster. I didn't realize I had these feelings before... This wasn't the first time he had led me by the hand anywhere.

He led me past the quiet streets and we walked along the coast. Then he led me to the hilltop where the lighthouse was, illuminated by the guardian Pokemon, Ampharos. He let go of my hand and we stood there in silence for a while, listening to the sound of the waves. My heart was beating so loud I was sure he could hear it.

"I-" Blue finally spoke. "I'm going to miss you."

"So will I…" I responded.

"You won't forget me right?" Blue turned to me and took my hands.

"No, I have a great memory," I joked.

His lips twitched but he stayed serious. "Maybe you can come by Pallet Town someday," he suggested. "I'll show you around Kanto."

"That would be nice," I said.

He stayed silent for another moment.

"It's so far away from here..." His voice trailed off. "No matter the distance I..."

He started to lean his face towards mine. I let out a little gasp and turned my face away. He let go of my hands and looked hurt.

"I'm sorry," he muttered. "I thought you might..."

I hesitated and felt myself tremble as I whispered, "Don't feel bad…" I took his hands.

Blue got the hint and he leaned my face towards mine again and our eager lips met. He held me close to him.

"I won't forget you, Lina," he whispered into my ear. "I'll find you again someday."


	2. CH 2 Blackthorn City

**Blackthorn City**

_**Two years later...**_

"Now, suppose you have two Pokémon left, a Grass type and a Bug type," Clair said. "And you're up against a Psychic type. Which Pokémon would you choose to send out next?" She looked around the room. The class full of pre-trainers stayed silent. My hand shot up in the air.

Clair sighed. "Does anyone know other than Lina?" The class stayed silent. Clair looked very annoyed. "Lina, stand up and tell everyone the answer. Show them the model student that you are." I stood up, feeling embarrassed because of the "model student" comment.

"The Bug type. Psychic types are weak against them."

"Very good," Clair said warmly. She smiled at me. "You may take your seat." She turned to the rest of the class and said sternly, "If you all dedicated time to studying like Lina did, I would have a class full of exceptional trainers. But no, I am stuck with Blackthorn's laziest, most irresponsible children!" The class cowered before her anger. They were saved by the Pidgey cukoo clock that went off to signal the end of the day's lessons.

Clair huffed, "Class dismissed. Lina, stay." The kids grabbed their books and left running. Clair walked over over to the other side of the room and slammed the sliding door shut.

"The only reason," she said, "those kids are here is because their parents are respectable Pokémon trainers who never taught their kids a thing!" She walked over to me again. "I wish I didn't have to waste my time and talent teaching them things they'll never learn!"

"I'm... sorry..." I hope she wasn't going to ask me to tutor anyone again. The last time that happened I seriously felt my IQ drop...

"It's not your fault, dear Lina," she said, smiling. She took my hands. "Now, the reason I held you back is... well, I think it's time for you to get your first Pokémon and start your Pokémon journey! What do you think? You'll travel the world and meet new places and people!"

_Maybe you can come by Pallet Town someday..._

"That sounds great!" I said, excited. "But isn't this a little early? How do you know I'm ready?"

She laughed. "I've known it since you walked through the door the first day of class!"

_You'd make a great trainer!_

"Thank you," I said humbly. She never gave out compliments without meaning them.

"This question's more important: Do you think you're ready?"

I hesitated in answering. Ever since I met Blue in Olivine City two years ago, I studied all I could about Pokémon and finished the last years of my desired schooling. It had been two hard and difficult years, and I am certain I love Pokémon just as much as Blue did- and undoubtedly still does. But I was still uncertain whether I wanted to journey for me or to see him again. Even so, would he still remember me?

_I won't forget you, Lina._

Could I trust the word of a 14 year old boy?

"Lina? If you're not ready..." "Of course I am!" I exclaimed, snapping back into reality. "I can't wait to start my own adventure!" "That's the spirit!" Clair said, hugging me. "Now go and get your things ready; meet me in the Dragon's Den in two hours to have a couple of words with the Elder before you leave. Oh, I'm so happy I could cry!" She pushed me gently out the door. "Don't be late!"

I walked out of the classroom, which was located inside the gym. I walked past the battlefield where Clair conducted her matches. I remembered watching her matches with awe; she rarely lost! I realized that I would have to face her someday. Hopefully by that time I would be a great Pokémon trainer and maybe win the match...

Two hours quickly passed. My parents helped me pack, gave me advice and tearfully bid me farewell.

"I've packed your most comfortable shoes, pairs of socks, clean underwear, some formal clothing in case you have a special occasion to attend, a sleeping bag, a hat, some shades, several pairs of pants and shorts, a bathing suit..."

"Thanks Mom..."

"Your father bought you a new Pokegear set that comes with a cellphone, a map, a radio..."

"It's the latest 3G technology," Dad added.

"Thank you Dad..."

"Now Lina, remember not to talk to strangers-"

"Mom, everyone I'm going to meet is going to be a stranger!"

"What your mother means is to be careful when talking to strangers."

"Yes, that's what I meant! Make sure to change your underwear everyday and to call often. Eat a healthy breakfast and don't overindulge on fatty foods!"

"Ok mom..."

"When you're in trouble and need help make sure you tell the police. Don't break the laws or they won't help you and we won't allow a criminal to live in our house."

"Dad, I'm sure you two have raised me to be a respectable citizen, you don't need to worry about that. I'm about to embark on my Pokémon journey; I can take care of myself."

"My baby is growing up!" Mom wailed as she flung her arms around me.

"I'm so proud of my girl!" Dad sniffed.

"I'll become the best I can be!" I declared. "Now, please let go Mom... You're crushing me..."

"Sorry sweetie," Mom said as she let go of me.

They waved good-bye from the threshold as I walked off towards Dragon's Den. I was honored to be granted an invitation; only trainers considered worthy were allowed in, and I didn't even have my first Pokémon yet! I approached the Den and was led inside. I walked over the bridge and paused for a bit to look down into the dark water. I could see my reflection; a girl of 16 years old who looked ready to go, whose eyes were sparkling with hope.

"You're doing this for yourself," I muttered. "Not for Blue or anyone else!"

_I'll find you again someday..._

"He's had time to look for me!" I reminded myself. "It's been more than two years, he could have tried to look me up or something, if he had tried to come to Johto! Move on! Little boys don't keep their promises!"

I turned away from my reflection and walked towards the door of the Elder's room at the end of the bridge. I was nervous and my hand unconsciously reached for my Pokeball necklace, fingering the pendant, a habit I could never quite break. I tiptoed to the door and listened at the keyhole.

"Grandfather, I am here to talk to you about one of my students," I heard Clair say.

"I have been teaching her for a little over a year, and although she entered school a little later than is customary, I am completely certain that she has the potential to be a great Pokémon trainer, and possibly even a Master like yourself, or a Champion like Lance here."

Champion? The Champion is here?

"That's a big statement you're making," I heard the Elder reply. "I'm not sure I trust your judgment."

"Where is this exceptional student you keep bragging about?" I heard a male voice ask.

"I asked her to meet me in here," Clair responded. "She's hardly late so she'll come in any minute now..."

Now or never. I straightened up, patted down my hair, took a deep breath and fingered my necklace one more time for luck before knocking at the door. The door was opened by a handsome young man with red hair and dark eyes framed by red eyebrows. He looked stern, but smiled once he saw me.

"Come in," he said warmly.

"Thank you," I replied.

"I am Lance; it's a pleasure to meet you," he said as I walked in.

"The pleasure is mine. I am Lina."

He kept smiling even as he assumed his position on one side of the Elder. I walked up to Clair, who was waiting for me on the other side of the Elder. He was sitting down on a comfortable cushion and looked friendly enough, but his expression was dead serious. I was being carefully scrutinized by him and his council sitting on opposite sides of the room. I bowed deeply to show my respect.

"This is Lina, my student," Clair said.

"Like I mentioned earlier to you, Grandfather, I know she is ready to start her journey. I brought her here to receive your blessing and her first Pokémon. Since she is the greatest student I've ever had, I was hoping you would give her a Pokémon a little... shall we say... better... than that of the rest."

The Elder stayed silent. It took all of my strength not to fidget around nervously. My hand went up to the pendant again.

"You may think she's worthy, Clair," he said after ruminating for more than a couple of minutes. "But what do I know of her skills? She hasn't had any experience that I know of. I don't give beginning trainers their first Pokémon like this. I send them through you."

"Maybe you could test her your own way, Grandfather," suggested Lance.

Clair and the Champion are related? How come she never told-

"Excellent idea. What do you think Lina? Are you up for my challenge?" asked the Elder. I tore myself away from the distracting thoughts running around my head.

I let go of my pendant as I replied in my most confident voice, "Yes, I accept."

The Elder cleared his throat. Lance looked serious and Clair wore a look of hope. "Consider the journey ahead of you. What is it that you most anticipate?"

I thought about my answer. "To work alongside my Pokémon to become the best we can be," I said after a while.

The Elder responded with silence. Lance smiled at my answer. Clair nodded in approval. I felt encouraged.

"Choosing one's first Pokémon is a momentous occasion. However, things do not always turn out as expected and many a trainer is disappointed in their first Pokémon. Suppose you were in that situation. What would you do?"

"That answer would depend on my expectations of my first Pokémon," I said quickly."For example..." I paused for another moment to carefully construct the answer. "If it's nature is hard to manage, I'll show it I mean well, and as time passes by, I'm sure we would get along. If it's not as strong as I hoped for it to be, I will work hard with it to bring out the talents it does possess. If it's stronger than I thought it would be, then I will work hard to make myself worthy of such a great Pokémon."

Again, the Elder responded with silence. Lance wore a smile again and Clair was tearing up. Lance noticed this and laughed.

"Clair, get a grip on yourself, there's still one more question to go!"

"I'm so proud of her!" she choked.

"There is still one more question," the Elder stated.

"S-sorry," Clair sniffed. "Continue."

"Lina, what is it that you value most in this world?"

I was stumped by this last question. There were many things that I valued, but how was I supposed to decide on one? My hand reached for the pendant again. It felt cool and smooth between my fingers.

_It's to remind you that we're friends. Best friends!_

Then I knew.

"Friendship. Without it I wouldn't have been motivated to start on this journey and have had Clair's valuable support and instruction. I want to see new places and have different experiences, but I also want to make friends with others and with my Pokémon. After all, isn't the best part about raising Pokémon the time one spends with them?" After I finished answering, I felt a small ache in my heart for Blue. I missed the times we shared, even though I was hurt that I hadn't heard from him. But- no, I don't need him. I'm going out to make new friends! I let go of the pendant.

Then I heard applause coming from... Lance! Clair and the council joined in. I felt my cheeks grow warm. The Elder put his hands up and they all stopped.

"Grandfather?" asked Clair and Lance.

"You have a right to be proud of her," the Elder answered after a moment. "I would be too if she were my student. I also believe she would make a fine trainer."

"Marvelous!" Clair exclaimed. Lance and the council started clapping again. This time the Elder joined in.

"Lina, I shall present you with your first Pokémon. Lance has bred this one to learn a special move. I am now certain that you are the best trainer for it." The Elder stood and walked to a shrine behind him. He walked back to me with a Pokeball resting in his upward palm. As I reached for it, there was a flash of light and a Pokémon appeared in my arms.

"Dratiiiniii," it said.

"Ohhhhh! It's so cute!" I exclaimed. I tickled its white belly. My Dratini squirmed with pleasure.

"This Dratini knows the move Extremespeed," Lance explained. "It's like a Quick Attack, but much stronger." He walked over to me to pat Dratini's head. "Take good care of it for me."

"Of course I will! Dratini and I will be best friends!"

"Dratini tini!" Dratini responded in agreement.

Although the sun was going to set in a few hours, I wanted to get started on my journey. Lance and Clair escorted me to the outskirts of the city and gave me their last pieces of advice.

"You should walk down Route 45 until you reach Dark Cave," Clair instructed. Follow the path there and you should come out on Route 31, which leads directly into Violet City. Faulker is the Gym Leader there."

"Gotcha."

"Let me see your Pokegear," Lance said. I handed it to him and he registered his and Clair's number. "If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to call and ask." He gave it back.

"Good luck Lina," Clair said firmly. She held out her hand and I shook it. "I hope the next time we meet each other, you will give me a battle to remember."

"You can count on that!"

"I hope to see you sooner than that," Lance said. He held out his hand. I shook it as well. He held my hand a little longer, then brought it to his lips and kissed it. "Take care, Lina."

I blushed and thanked them both. I turned around and took my first steps down Route 45 and the road to becoming a Pokémon trainer.


	3. CH 3 The Dark Tunnel

I heard a shuffle among the tall grass. I whipped out my Pokéball and waited. A wild Pokémon appeared. It was the large pink bat Pokémon, Gligar.

"Go, Dratini!"

"Dratiiiniii!" Dratini appeared ready for battle.

"Use Extremespeed on that Gligar!"

"GLIGAAAAAR!" The wild Gligar used his Screech attack before flying away, defeated.

"Great job Dratini! That's the 6th Gligar you've beaten today!"

"Dratini tini!" Dratini hopped around to show off how happy it felt.

"I bet you're tired; I know I am," I said. "Let's rest up near that tree."

We sat under the shade of the tree and I brought out a pack of snacks I had bought for Dratini before leaving Blackthorn. Dratini ate them out of my hand. I patted its head lovingly.

"Hey Dratini, I think I see the entrance to Dark Tunnel," I said.

"Tiiiniii!"

"I'm glad to see it too; I thought we might have passed it."

"Aaaaah!" I heard a scream and then I saw a man running out of the tunnel's entrance. "Ghosts!"

"Sir are you ok?" I stood up and Dratini followed me, also concerned about the man's panicked state of mind.

"Don't go into that tunnel Miss!" the man panted. "There are some mighty strange things in there!"

"But I have to! I need to get to Violet City," I explained.

"Take another route! Don't say I didn't warn you!" he shouted before running away.

"Tini?"

"We won't be scared by some Pokemon," I assured it. "I bet you're way tougher than any Ghost!"

"Tiiini..."

"Don't worry, you'll be safe and sound in your Pokéball. Dratini, return!"

I took out my flashlight and prepared to go in. Before I did, I looked out into the twilight and saw a huge mountain in the distance. Mt Silver... There lived Pokémon maybe ten times as powerful as the ones in here. I let go of my nervousness because I knew I had to start somewhere.

It wasn't named Dark Cave for just any reason. Although I had a flashlight, it was still hard to see anything in there. I lost count of the number of times I almost tripped. I was always straining my eyes and ears so nothing would catch me off guard. After some 20 minutes of exploring I still hadn't run into anything.

"I bet that Hiker was just hallucinating," I muttered out loud. I sat down on a large boulder to take a break. Suddenly I heard a shuffling noise coming from behind me. I turned around quickly and took out my Pokéball.

"Who's there?" I asked.

No answer. Then I heard more shuffling. I turned forward again.

"Show yourself!" I commanded. "If you're a Pokémon, fight mine!"

"BOOOOOO!" I heard in response. It was loud enough to shake the walls of the cave and the echo came back as an even louder, "BOOOOOO!"

"Dratini! GO!"

"Tiiiniii!"

"Use your Slam attack! Let's see if it really is a Ghost Pokémon!"

Dratini disappeared into the darkness. I heard it collide with the thing.

"Waaaahhh!"

"Excellent work Dratini! Now use your Wrap attack!"

"AHHH! Let go of me!" It was a boy's voice!

"Stop Dratini!" I said. I shone my flashlight towards the spot where I last saw Dratini. Sure enough, a kid sat on the floor of the cave with a disheveled appearance. His hair and face were very dirty, and he was wearing a shirt with torn sleeves and ragged shorts.

"I'm sorry!" I gasped. I ran over to him. "Are you alright?"

"No I'm not! You try to survive a big fat snake wrapping around you!"

"Dra_tini!_"

"Dratini's not a snake," I translated. "It's a _dragon_."

"I don't care! That hurt!"

"You shouldn't have tried to scare us!" I scolded.

"You shouldn't have trespassed into my cave!" he said, standing up. He came up to my shoulders in height.

"Since when was this your cave?"

"Since I ran away from the orphanage!"

I stood quiet, not knowing how to respond.

"Now get out!"

I couldn't just leave him here... "How about you come with me to Violet City? I bet you're hungry."

"No!" he responded indignantly. His stomach's loud growling disagreed. He bowed his head. "Maybe just a little..."

"Then it's settled! Dratini, return."

"I'll lead the way out," offered the boy.

"Thank you, err-"

"Emilio. But you can call me Lio." He reached behind the boulder I had sat on and grabbed a sack that seemed to contain his belongings.

"Alright, Lio. Thank you," I said as he started to lead the way.

"Sorry for scaring you. I never know what lurks inside this cave. I don't have anything to defend myself with, so I scare anything off with loud noises. You happened to be sitting in the most echo-y part of the cave."

"Just my luck," I murmured. "You must have scared off quite a bunch of people. Before I entered the cave a hiker came running out, screaming something about ghosts."

"That was me!" Lio said proudly.

"That wasn't very nice. The poor guy will probably never set foot in this cave again."

Lio couldn't help grinning at this. I looked at him sternly and he readjusted his expression to one of concern.

"That's- that's awful."

"You clown!"

I asked him about his life in the orphanage and why he ran away.

"My parents died when I was very little, and I had no relatives to care for me. I was taken in by the orphanage and have lived there ever since. No one wanted to adopt me. I watched as all of my friends were being adopted, and I was left with only the younger ones. The older you got, the less chance someone would adopt you. So I decided I was too old and ran away. I left a thank you note and asked them not to worry about me because I was going to work hard and take care of myself from now on. I decided to lie low in case the orphanage sent out a search party for me, so I scared off everybody who came by."

"How old are you?"

"I'm 13."

"How are you supposed to take care of yourself?"

"I'm going to be a professional Pokemon photographer!"

"Huh?"

"You know, like taking pictures of Pokémon. With a camera."

"I know what photography is," I said, slightly annoyed. "But I didn't know there _were_ Pokémon photographers. Can I see some samples of your work?"

"Not in here; you won't be able to appreciate the talent I have."

I laughed. "Now I really can't wait to get out of this cave."

A few minutes later we were outside. Unfortunately it was now nighttime and it was dark outside as well.

"Let's make camp," I suggested. "I'm too tired to keep walking."

"That's fine by me. Where shall we sleep?"

I looked around and saw a small pond and a grassy area by a tree. "Under that tree!"

Several minutes later we had a campfire going and I had prepared some soup for both of us.

"I can't wait to get to Violet City," I commented. "I barely started my Pokémon journey and I'm already tired of eating things out of packets and containers."

"When I ran away, all I took was my cereal box. I didn't want to steal anything. This soup is the best I've had in days."

"When did you run away?"

"A week ago."

"How long did your cereal last?"

"Three days. After that I started to eat roots and berries I gathered. Don't eat apricorns though; they are really hard! I almost broke my teeth when I bit into it! After that I tried making juice but it turns out I need a special blender for that."

"Does it taste good?"

"Delicious and refreshing!" Lio said cheerfully. "Pokémon really like it."

"I'd like to give some to Dratini," I mused.

"Where did you get such a rare Pokémon?" he asked.

"From the Elder of the Dragon's Den located in Blackthorn City," I responded. "I was the gym leader's best student so she asked him to give me a better-than-usual Pokémon. I had to pass his test first; not just anyone is allowed to be a dragon trainer. Blackthorn City is famous for having instructed dragon masters, including the current Pokémon champion."

"Wow! So you must be super smart! My respects! I was never that great in school. I only attended for a while before I decided to ask the orphanage to let me drop out and attend photography school instead."

"Photography school is expensive! Why did they let you attend?"

"My parents had a little money saved in their bank account that I received when they died. I used most of it up to cover the cost of tuition and supplies. Before I ran off I withdrew the rest of it in case of anything."

"Is it enough to support you until you find a job?"

"Uhhh... He pulled out a wad of cash from his sack. He counted it up and said, "Twenty..."

"That's not good..."

"But I can definitely make way more than that after a photo shoot! Which reminds me, my pictures!" He pulled out an old brown album and opened it up to a page. I saw a photograph of a Caterpie looking up at the night sky with a full moon overhead. Another photo showed a blue haired trainer with a bird Pokémon perched on his outstreched arm.

"That's Faulkner," Lio said. "He's the gym leader of Violet City. I took this one recently. He was out training and I knew I wanted a shot of a bird Pokémon in action. Unfortunately he was already done training for the day but he posed for me and let me take the picture."

"That was nice of him," I commented. Bird Pokémon! If only I had an Electric or Ice type...

"Look at the rest! I'm sure you can stare at him plenty when you're battling him," Lio teased.

"I'm not-! I was just thinking-!"

"You're blushing!"

I finished flipping through Lio's album. His pictures impressed me. There were many photos of trainers posing with their Pokémon and several action shots of intense Pokémon battles. There were a couple of shots with families of Pokémon gathering together to eat, sleep and play. But the last photograph was not about Pokémon. This one pictured a human family, a man and a woman holding a baby and smiling at the camera. The baby stared at the photographer with interest. I let out a chuckle; apparently Lio was in love with photography since he was a baby. He had his father's dark hair and his mother's twinkling brown eyes. I realized I missed my family a little; I was so worked up on leaving on my adventure I didn't really think I would miss them. But after Lio told me his family's story I felt grateful I still had mine.

I glanced over at him. He was curled up next to the fire with a small smile on his face. I smiled too, happy knowing he was safe. I took out an extra blanket and placed it over him. Then I laid down on the sleeping bag I prepared earlier and looked up at the stars one last time before I closed my eyes.


End file.
